Controlling means fob valves



Aug. 27, 1935. R ET AL 2,012,900

CONTROLLING MEANS FOR VALVES Filed May 20, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I mm I l K a i Aug. 27, 1935. F. c. AREY ET AL CONTROLLING MEANS FOR VALVES Filed May 20, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 it'is' not only possible to permit the cleaning-fluid- Patented Aug. 1 27, 1935 7 CONTROLLING MnANs Fon-vALvEs Fred CLArey, oak al 111., and De Los E. Hibner, 7 Jr., Dubois, Pa., assignors to Vulcan Soot Blower Corporation, a corporation of, Penn sylvania Application May 20, 1933, Serial No; 671,956

1; Claim. (01. 251513),

In our application, Serial Number 671,951, we on anienlarged-scale, on line "33 "of Fig. 2, only have disclosed a head forasoot blower in which, upon operating a suitable actuatoras; for'example,a chain, the tubular cleaning element is 5 turned step by step and at-thesame time a main valve is opened to admit steam to the cleaning element; 'the opening and closingof the main valve being controlled by a pilot valve which is operated in one direction by said actuator andin the other direction by pressureof the steamin the head. The object of t the present invention is to modify the controlling meansfor'a headof this character, so that the pilot valve may be controlled by simple mechanismindependently of the means for-eifecting a turning movement of the cleaning element. I In carrying out our inventiom we employ separate actuators for the cleaningelement and the pilot valve. The cleaning element may, for example, be operated by the same means as'in the aforesaid application, whereas 'the controlling means for the pilot valveshould be suchthat, after the pilot valve has been shifted into the position for causing the mainvalve'to open, it will -remain in that position without further attention on the part of the operator, until-it is again desired to shut ofi the steam or other'cleaning' fluid from the cleaning element. f Therefore,

' ent invention may besaidto have for its object to produce a simple and novel controlling mechanism for a pilot valve or the like which will move the valve into a working position and then hold it there without further aid on the partof the operator until such a time as it is desired I that the position of the valve be changed.

The various features of novelty whereby our invention is characterized will hereinafter be pointed out with particularity in the claim; but, for a full understanding of the invention and of its objects and advantages, reference may be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings,

wherein: I

Figure l is a side elevation of, a head equipped in accordance with the present invention, a view of the parts beingshown in section; Fig. 2 is a section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a section,

-by a small" pilot valve. in one of its two extreme positions by the 'presa small'fragm ent of'the' head in the {vicinity of the valve casing being shown; Fig. 4is a View inFig.'2, or 'a' section on line 3--3, looking the opposite direction from that in which the arrows point, showing onlythe pulley.

Referring to the drawings, '1 represents ahol- 7 low head to which is connected and from-which extends a' rotatablatubular cleaning elenie'nt' Z. This element may be turned step by fstepfl or PATENT oF-nc'E otherwise, by suitable mec'hanism'hous'ejd within a casing'3, the actuating means for such mechanism being conveniently-a shaft 4 having on the outer-end a-sprocket wheel or pulley 5 upon which hangs asprocket ch'ainfi. These parts of themsel'ves form no p'art of the present inven- Aside from the mechanismfor turning the tubular cleaningflele'ment; thehead isp'refe rably of the type disclosedin'the application of'FredC. Are-y, Serial Number f4,382, in which steam may enter the--cleaning element when'a main valve thehead is opened'and is-shut off when said main valve is closed; the main valve being controlled The pilot valve is held sure of the-steam in the head and must; be moved into its second position, against thefpressure of a such steam, bya suitable actuator; The mam valve remains open while the .pilot valve remains the stem 1 of the pilot valve; this stem projecting I t a considerable distance when the pilot valve is in its main valve-closing position and receding into its casing as the pilot valve is forced into its other position; these two positions of the stem being respectively indicated in Figs. 3 and 4. However,

instead of controlling this valve stem through the operation of the sprocket wheel or pulley 5, we provide independent actuating means. In the arrangement shown, there is a bell crank lever having a short arm 8 and a long arm 9, journalled. at the angle or elbow upon a stationary pin It fixed to, the head. The axis of the pin I0 -'in-said second position. In this last mentioned is at right angles to the valve stem, and its position relatively to the valve stem is otherwise such that, when the bell crank lever is oscillated, the short arm thereof swings in a plane containing the axis of the valve stem;'at one point in its movement engages with the end of the valve stem; and thereafter, as the movement of the lever continues, forces the valve stem back into the valve casing.

The bell crank lever is adapted to be oscillated. or rocked by a sprocket wheel or pulley I2 supported on the head for angular movements about an axis parallel to the axis of the pin or journal II] and near the 'lever.{ On the inner side'of this wheel or pulley are a' hub I3 and a boss; I4

beside the hub. Extending between the boss I4 and the free end ofthe long arm of the bell crank lever is a curved link I5, the'curvature' of whose.

concave edge is that of a circle of. about the same diameter as the hub I3. The link is hinged to thebellcrankleverbya suitable pin I6 and to the'boss I4 by agsuitablegpin I I fixed to the boss and projecting through a holein the link.

With this arrangement, when the wheelor pulley I2 is turned in one direction, the long arm of the bell crank leverisdrawn down close to the hub I3 andthe curved link is broughtint'o a position iniwhich the hub fits in-theconcave'side or edge of the link, as shown; in Fig. 3. Any. further movement of ;the wheel orpulley inithis same direction, whichis the clockwise direction as viewed inFig. 3, is preventedafter such engagement-between .the.,link .and the hub is effected. At this'time, however; the short arm of the bell crank lever has swung out far enough to be free from the valve stem which may then be forced outwardly by the steam behind it. When it is ment of the valve stem is completedythe pin [1 moves across the line connecting the center of the pin IB with the center-of the hub I3, that the hub andboss l l onthe one side, and the-link I5 on .theother side, constitute a toggle which must be straightened before they can be swung back to the starting position shown in Fig. 3. Howeven-thesteam' pressure behind the valve stem is nowacting on the lever in a direction which causes the toggl to be held against straightening. It will bev seen that, since the joint between the links of the toggle has passed beyond center, the thrust of the bell crank lever is not only in a direction to prevent straightening of the toggle, but is actually in a direction to produce further counter-clockwise movement of themembers I3 and I4 and, therefore, of the wheel or pulley I2. To prevent,v such further movement, we provide a stop between the link I 5 and some part of the wheel or pulley. In the arrangement shown, the wheel or pulley has on the'inner side a lug I8 which engages with the 'rear or trailing edge of the link, I5 when the parts have'been brought into the position shown "in Fig. 4. The lug I8 is approximately twice as far away from the center of the wheel as is the pin I1, and therefore'the link I 5 cannot push the wheel or pulleyarounmbecause it. cannot get .out of the way of the lug I8. In other words,

the parts being in the positions to lock the valve stem in, as indicated in Fig. 4, thetpressure of the-steam tendingltopushthe valve stem out serves to. maintain the parts in those looking our invention constituting the appended claim.

We claim: I

The combination'withla valve element, of a leverfor moving said element into a, predetermined position, a rotatable wheelhaving-a hub,

a curvedlink. connected atone end to the lever and-extending, around the hub of the wheel to the opposite side of the hub from match which the joint between the link'and the lever lies while the lever-is inits idle position, the parts being so proportioned that upon rotation of the wheel to causethe valve element to be moved into said predetermined position the point .of connection between the link and the wheel passes to the same side of the hub as that on which the joint between the linkand the lever lies and then past a line connecting said joint with the center of the wheel; and alug on the wheel moving intoengagement with the link upon the shifting of the valve element intosaid predetermined position.

, FRED CLAREY. l p -'DE me E. HIBNER, JR. 7 

